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Edward Spalding (1587-1669)
}} Biography Born in England : Birth 1596-Sep-04 (?) and Christened on Sep-13. Family 1st Marriage: Margaret Elliott Children born in England - Mother died by 1640. # Grace Spalding (1620-1641) # Mary Spalding (1630-1705) # Child Spalding (1631-1631) - died young # John Spalding (1633-1721) 2nd Marriage: Rachel Needham Children born in Massachusetts # Benjamin Spalding (1643-1712) # Andrew Spalding (1652-1713) # John Spalding (1682-1760) Research Notes * Birth: Sep 13 1596 - Spalding, Lincolnshire, , England * Death: Feb 26 1669/1670 - Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts Parents: Some researchers believe that Edward Spaulding is the son of Wilfrie & Ann Spalding of London. Edward and Diane (Moullinge), whom other researchers believe are the parents, were m 21 Sep 1598, St. Mary's Redenhall, Norfolk. Married: Margaret Elliot, Rachel Needham Accompanied by his wife and two or more children he came to America, probably from Lincolnshire, England, about 1619, remaining briefly in Virginia. Edward came to Jamestown, Virginia from London with Sir George Yeardley in 1619, more than a year before the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Colony. That same year, the brother of Indian Chief Powhatan nearly wiped out the colony, and Edward with some of the remaining settlers came north to the Plymouth Colony. Although according to a census on 16 Feb 1623 he still resided in Jamestown (then called "James Cittye"). As Governor Yeardley was a native of London, it would have been natural for him to take to Virginia on his return there in 1619 other natives or inhabitants of London. Then he removed to Barbados for some years, but settling about 1634 at Braintree, Mass., where he was made freeman in 1640. He was one of the early proprietors of Chelmsford, Mass., in 1653, and was upon the first board of selectmen of that town. Edward Spaulding was made freeman of the colony May 13,1640 at Braintree which is the earliest record found of him. He was one of the petitioners from here in October 1645 for land for a new plantation. He removed 1645-47 to Wenham MA and was one of the founders of Chelmsford in 1655 where he died Feb.26, 1670. The first known authentic record of the Spalding family in America appears in a Virginia state document (senate report) entitled Virginia Colonial Records, 1619-1680, published by authority of the state of Virginia. The documents there presented were printed from copies obtained from the public record office of Great Britain and include an account of the history of the Virginia colony. It was in the year 1607 that the first emigrants to successfully form a permanent colony landed in Virginia. The colony was ruled during the earlier years by laws written in blood, and the colonists suffered an extremity of distress too horrible to be described. Of the thousands of emigrants who had been sent to Virginia at great cost, not one in twenty remained alive in April, 1619, when Sir George Yeardley arrived with commissions and instructions "for the better establishment of a commonwealth heere." The first meeting was held July 30, 1619. Conclusive evidence proves that Edward Spalding came over from England with Sir George Yeardley in 1619 or about that time. There is documentary evidence that Edward Spalding and his family were fully established in the Virginia colony in 1623, as his name appears in these "Virginia colony records" in "Lists of the Living and the Dead in Virginia February 16, 1623"; under the caption "All James Citie" in list of the living is "Edward Spalding, uxor (wife) Spalding, puer (boy) Spalding, puella (girl) Spalding." The supposition is that Edward and Edmund Spalding, whose names also appear on same lists later, emigrated together from England about 1619; that some years later Edward went to the Massachusetts colony, while Edmund joined the Maryland colony under Lord Baltimore and was the progenitor of the "Maryland branch." Powhatan, the friend of the English, died and on March 22, 1622, the Indians fell upon the settlement and in one hour three hundred and forty-seven persons were massacred. A census was ordered after the massacre and it is in this list that the name of Edward Spalding and his family appear. Prior to emigrating to Massachusetts, Edward may have lived a number of years in the Bermuda Islands (then called the Summer Islands), as there seems to be some evidence. The date of his settlement in Braintree, Massachusetts, was about 1634. Here his first wife, Margaret, and his child, Grace, died, and one of his children, Benjamin, was born. He was made a freeman, May 13, 1640, and is named in a petition, October 1, 1645. He is next of mention as one of the first proprietors of the town of Chelmsford, as is his son Edward, Junior, and John Spalding. He removed there in 1653, and at the first town meeting held November 22, 1654, was chosen selectman and again in 1656-60-67. He held other offices of trust in the town, and is recorded as one of the proprietors of "Newford," March 12, 1667. He died February 26, 1670. He married (first) Margaret —, died August 1, 1640. Her children were: John, Edward and Grace. He married (second) Rachel —, named in his will. Her children were: Benjamin, of further mention; Joseph, Dinah and Andrew. See Also * Edward Spalding * Spalding in Middlesex County, Massachusetts * Edward Spalding - GENI References * Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts - Vol III, pg 576-578 by Willim Cutter, Publ 1908 - See Google Books.